The Art Deco Trust

"You must visit the Art Deco Trust when you are in town. You will get a full sense of the wonderful Art Deco atmosphere through the 1930s outfits of the staff and all decorations and souvenirs. You can also learn about the history of the 1931earthquake by a brief introduction and a film. Staff are very friendly, helpful, fun and knowledgeable. Maggie provided us with very useful information to know the town history better. The Art Deco Trust is a great place to visit!"

"Our guide Mathilda is very friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable! She opened our eyes to be able to see the city back in time. You will never see the city in the same way and will find the treasure kept here by other generations from around the world after walking with her. Highly recommend the the guided walk in Napier."

"We thought there would only be 4-5 buildings with the Art deco style, but there’s a whole district with it and it’s just so wonderful :-) Napier simply is a gem of a city and definitely worth a pit stop for a lunch/brunch and a long walk in the streets and on the boardwalk ! (You probably should take a car/bus/bike for the Tobacco Building but it’s a 100% worth it to go!!)"

"We went on an Art Deco Tour, with the Art Deco Trust. As a perpetual tourist, I really enjoyed this tour, as did my Sweet Kiwi Man, who although a New Zealander, had never done a tour of this nature. We loved walking through the streets, looking up, instead of down. Some really cool things we learned were; the difference between art nouveau and art deco, (one has a lot of floral and vines, one doesn’t), all about speedlines–(which we now plan to incorporate on our new sailboat), the earthquake and incredible rebuilding effort afterwards, what some of the cool colors and geometric patterns mean–(it felt a little like The DaVinci Code!), windows, columns, entryways–it was a grand adventure and learning; and a brilliant way to spend a couple of hours in this beautiful seafront city."

"A wonderful place filled with such lovely volunteers that are very willing to share their passion and history of their Art Deco city. The store is a bit of a treasure trove, you never know what you might find, there are so many bits and bobs I wanted to leave with. The short video is perfect if you've only got 20-30 minutes to spare, otherwise if definitely recommend the guided walk. It's incredibly informative and gives you so much insight to the city you've already been strolling through. I didn't get a chance to take a vintage car tour but one of the guides was kind enough to spin me around the block, and what a beautiful car it is. You feel like you've been transported back in time."